1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel confection, and more particularly to a tasty soft candy that offers a novel texture, in which taste is improved without sacrificing fragrance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Candies with a solid content consisting essentially of saccharides, and with a moisture content of 6 to 20 wt %, are widely enjoyed as soft candies. In recent years, however, sales of soft candies have shown a continuing drop from year to year. One of the major reasons that soft candies cannot meet current demands is that such candies stick to the teeth and remain in this stuck condition for a considerable period time. Various solutions to this problem have been proposed. Most of these solutions involve the addition of additives.
However, solutions that use such additives have tended to impair the tastiness of the soft candy itself. The present inventors previously discovered a solution that differs from such methods that depend on additives. Specifically, the present inventors proposed that gummi with a moisture content of 10 to 20 wt % be dispersed through the candy at the rate of 5 to 30 wt % (Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-182538).
The above-mentioned novel soft candy proposed by the present inventors is a soft candy that applies the method of dispersing some type of solid substance in the candy rather than ameliorating the problem of sticking to the teeth by adding various substances to the soft candy as additives, as in conventional methods. Of course, it is necessary that the above-mentioned dispersed solid substance be a solid substance that will not dissolve in the gelatin or saccharides that constitute the composition of the candy, and that this solid substance suit the texture and taste of the candy. As a result of various investigations, the inventors discovered that gummi proves to be extremely well-suited to such candy; furthermore, the problem of sticking to the teeth that arises in soft candy was solved by dispersing gummi which has been pulverized beforehand to a fixed size, or gummi molded into granules, during the manufacturing process of the soft candy.
In the case of the novel soft candy containing dispersed gummi proposed by the present inventors as described above, even if the candy sticks to the teeth, the gummi remains, so that a clean sensation is felt following eating. It is an object of the present invention to improve even further the soft candy with a novel texture in which the problem of sticking to the teeth is ameliorated as described above, In particular, it is an object of the present invention to improve the flavor of the soft candy without sacrificing the fragrance.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, the present inventors conducted further research. As a result of this research, the inventors discovered that the flavor can be improved to a surprising extent by adding a very small amount of crystalline cellulose as an additive to the previously proposed soft candy base substance, in which the problem of sticking to the teeth is ameliorated by dispersing gummi in the candy base substance.
Specifically, the present invention is a soft candy in which gummi is dispersed through a candy base substance with a solid content consisting essentially of one or more saccharides, the moisture content of this base substance being 6 to 20 wt %, and said base substance containing 0.001 to 0.3 wt % crystalline cellulose.
Furthermore, the present invention is a soft candy in which the solid content of the above-mentioned candy base substance consists essentially of gelatin and one or more saccharides, and gummi with a moisture content of 10 to 20 wt % is dispersed through this base substance at the rate of 5 to 30 wt %.
In the soft candy of the present invention, which is formed by dispersing gummi in the above-mentioned base substance, it is desirable that the size of the above-mentioned gummi be 20 to 80% of the height of the soft candy. In cases where the size of the gummi is less that 20% of the height of the soft candy, the texture of the gummi cannot be felt, and there is also an abrupt drop in the effect of the present invention in preventing sticking to the teeth. On the other hand, in cases where the size of the gummi exceeds 80% of the height of the soft candy, a soft candy texture can hardly be felt.